Commissioning Grants for Jazz Artists

[Chamber Music America]

Chamber Music America

New Works: Creation and Presentation Program
Chamber Music America extends its outreach to the ensemble music community by providing services, resources, membership benefits and grant opportunities to jazz artists. Of special interest is the New Works: Creation and Presentation Grant Program, a component of the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project. Now in its fourth year of providing direct assistance to the jazz field, this innovative grant initiative supports composer/performer led ensembles for the creation and presentation of original music in the jazz idiom. Since 2000, the program has commissioned over thirty compositions from jazz artists across the nation.
Ensembles must consist of a core of musicians who perform original music that includes jazz improvisation, have a demonstrated history of performing together as a jazz ensemble and range in size from two to 10 members.

Grant Range
$10,000 to $15,000. This includes a Commission Fee and Ensemble Honorarium.
In addition, funds are available to grantees for conducting community-based audience engagement projects.

Jazz members are also eligible to apply for other CMA grants including: The Residency Partnership Program and the Commissioning Program. Whether at our annual conference in January or at ongoing events around the country, CMA provides a presence on behalf of and for our membership. Activities range from career advancement consultations to interactive skill development workshops for individual artists, ensembles, and presenters.

Contact: Al Pryor, Program Officer, (212) 242-2022 ext. 14, apryor@chamber-music.org

The New Works: Creation and Presentation Program is funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.


Chamber Music America, the national service organization for the ensemble music profession, was founded in 1977 to promote artistic excellence and the economic stability of the field, and to ensure that chamber music, in its broadest sense, is a vital part of American life. With a membership of nearly 8,000, including musicians, ensembles, presenters, artists’ managers, educators, music businesses, and advocates of the art form, CMA welcomes and represents a wide range of musical styles and traditions. CMA provides its members with grant opportunities, consulting services, health and instrument insurance, conferences, seminars, print publications, and website www.chamber-music.org.